SETTING: University and teaching hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a city with a high prevalence of tuberculosis (TB). OBJECTIVE: To determine whether medical students are at increased risk of nosocomial transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis relative to other university students. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of medical and chemical engineering students in different levels of their training programmes. Information about socio-demographic characteristics, BCG vaccination history, and potential exposures to TB were obtained using a standardised questionnaire. Tuberculin skin testing (TST) was used to determine the prevalence of infection with TB. RESULTS: Medical students have an increasing prevalence of TST positivity as they advance in their training programme to increasing levels of study (4.6%, 7.8%, 16.2%, respectively, P < 0.001), but chemical engineering students do not (4.2%, 4.3%, 4.4%, respectively, P = 0.913). The risks are greatest during the years of clinical training, when medical students have increased contact with patients. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students in this setting may be at increased risk of M. tuberculosis infection, relative to chemical engineering students. A programme of routine tuberculin skin testing is needed, combined with interventions to reduce the risk of nosocomial transmission in the workplace.
SETTING: University and teaching hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a city with a high prevalence of tuberculosis (TB). OBJECTIVE: To determine whether medical students are at increased risk of nosocomial transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis relative to other university students. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of medical and chemical engineering students in different levels of their training programmes. Information about socio-demographic characteristics, BCG vaccination history, and potential exposures to TB were obtained using a standardised questionnaire. Tuberculin skin testing (TST) was used to determine the prevalence of infection with TB. RESULTS: Medical students have an increasing prevalence of TST positivity as they advance in their training programme to increasing levels of study (4.6%, 7.8%, 16.2%, respectively, P < 0.001), but chemical engineering students do not (4.2%, 4.3%, 4.4%, respectively, P = 0.913). The risks are greatest during the years of clinical training, when medical students have increased contact with patients. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students in this setting may be at increased risk of M. tuberculosis infection, relative to chemical engineering students. A programme of routine tuberculin skin testing is needed, combined with interventions to reduce the risk of nosocomial transmission in the workplace.
Authors: Ruvandhi R Nathavitharana; Patricia Bond; Angela Dramowski; Koot Kotze; Philip Lederer; Ingrid Oxley; Jurgens A Peters; Chanel Rossouw; Helene-Mari van der Westhuizen; Bart Willems; Tiong Xun Ting; Arne von Delft; Dalene von Delft; Raquel Duarte; Edward Nardell; Alimuddin Zumla Journal: Presse Med Date: 2017-02-28 Impact factor: 1.228
Authors: José E Pérez-Lu; Cesar P Cárcamo; Patricia J García; Alejandro Bussalleu; Antonio Bernabé-Ortiz Journal: Tuberculosis (Edinb) Date: 2012-10-30 Impact factor: 3.131
Authors: Paolo Durando; Cristiano Alicino; Andrea Orsi; Ilaria Barberis; Chiara Paganino; Guglielmo Dini; Giovanni Mazzarello; Valerio Del Bono; Claudio Viscoli; Francesco Copello; Dimitri Sossai; Giovanni Orengo; Laura Sticchi; Filippo Ansaldi; Giancarlo Icardi Journal: Biomed Res Int Date: 2015-02-01 Impact factor: 3.411
Authors: Maitreyi Murthy; Sumithra Selvam; Nelson Jesuraj; Sean Bennett; Mark Doherty; Harleen M S Grewal; Mario Vaz Journal: PLoS One Date: 2013-09-06 Impact factor: 3.240